They defeated Monga

Toiling is better than seeking mercy ... Landless Mominur and his wife Lipiza Begum have defeated Monga. Their seven member family is fed well after Mominur, being refused a VGF card, started crushing mustard seeds in an indigenous wooden tool to produce edible oil. PHOTO: STAR

But he got no reply when he asked the UP chairman why his old mother should not get one. Mominur, 28, of Koimari union in Jaldhaka upazila has to support a big family including his old mother, divorced sister, his wife and three children.

Like many of the monga-hit poor day labourers, Mominur returned home disappointed and worried. But he was undaunted.

People like him either queue for subsidised rice supplied by the government, or leave home for town or even beg. But self-respecting Mominur did none.

He repaired the old indigenous mustard crushing wooden tool (ghani) to produce edible oil. The problem did not end there. A bullock is needed to pull, which he did not have.

During monga (a jobless period prior to harvest of Aman paddy), most of the landless poor sell their domestic animals and chicken to buy food. Monipur had no money to buy a bullock again to pull the ghani.

Mominur and his wife Lipiza Begum decided to pull the ghani themselves.

Now, the husband and wife crush about ten kilograms of mustered seeds worth about Tk 250 daily. They get about three kilograms of mustered oil and six kilograms of oil cake. Mominur sells these for Tk 140 to 150 and buys rice and other necessities. All members of his family are now well fed.

Pulling the ghani is better than queuing for doles, the happy couple told this correspondent during a visit to their village on Saturday.

They said they have defeated the monga and bought new clothes for their children for the Eid.